Congress slams BJP after Delhi Police charge sheet against Brij Bhushan goes public

The Congress party on Tuesday accused the BJP government of shielding Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging he was a “sexual perpetrator”, after it emerged that the Delhi police’s chargesheet against Singh included charges of “sexual harassment” and “criminal intimidation”.

According to the charge sheet accessed by The Indian Express, the police have invoked Sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman); 354 A (sexual harassment); and 354 D (stalking) in the chargesheet and flagged that in one case Singh’s harassment was “repeated and continuing”.

“Ironically, women wrestlers had also made allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Singh in front of the committee constituted in January 2023. But the committee ignored the allegations,” Congress spokesperson, Supriya Shrinate, told a press conference on Tuesday while quoting the chargesheet.

Raising several queries on the case, Shrinate sharply criticised the central government’s “constant silence” on this matter.

“The most important factors that come to question today is — Will the government continue to remain quiet? Will the women and child development minister Smriti Irani only speak when she is spewing venom against Rahul Gandhi? Will she turn a blind eye to very grave charges being made in this chargesheet?”

Alleging that the government was protecting Singh, Shrinate asked whether he would continue to be a MP.

“Will the BJP, not once, not twice but repeatedly continue to offer political patronage, protection and support to the perpetrator of the crime here and not the women?” she asked.

Top Indian wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have been part of a closely-tracked protest movement against Singh for months.

On protest since January this year, they allege that Singh has sexually abused several female wrestlers.